Study Abroad Program To Show What Students 'Cannes' Do

For those interested in the film industry, no event provides greater access and opportunity than the Cannes Film Festival, and Sam Houston’s study abroad program wants students to be part of the action.

Led by mass communication department chair Jean Bodon, the two-week study abroad program will begin with an introductory lecture on May 10 on campus. The classroom will quickly become the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, where students will spend the entire two-week period from May 15-May 28 in a learning environment like no other, according to Bodon.

The largest international event second only to the Olympic Games, the Cannes Film Festival hosts more than 30,000 film distributors, producers, directors, actors, technicians and the media, as well as 200,000 people who, in less than two weeks time, will attend more than 900 screenings and numerous other cinema events.

“Students can see as many as 20 films a day if they have time,” said Bodon, who first took students to Cannes as a professor at the University of New Haven.

“I ran into a student who I took to Cannes almost 30 years ago and who went on to have a very successful career in the film industry,” said Bodon. “He told me that I changed his life. I told him, no, that was Cannes.”

The few requirements of the course include seeing at least one film a day and then discussing those films with Bodon in an informal but informative way.

But you don’t have to be a film geek to take advantage of what Cannes has to offer; this study abroad program is ideal for students interested in pursuing a variety of careers including those as filmmakers and screenwriters, but more broadly, entertainment writers and reporters, photographers, film critics or even art history buffs, he said.

“Students can blog about their Cannes experience or create video news reports and post them on YouTube,” Bodon said.

No matter how students approach their time in Cannes, there will no doubt be walks down the red-carpet, elbow rubbing with celebrities, industry parties, networking, and plenty of entertainment both on and off the screen.

“When you can attend the biggest market for film in the world, you have an unprecedented chance to make contact with industry professionals and to get into the business,” Bodon said.

The cost for the course is $3,500, which includes tuition, airfare and hotel. Students can apply for financial aid, and Bodon hopes to set up a few scholarships.

Students interested in taking the course should register for MCOM 4399 during the first summer session; however, students cannot register without prior approval from Bodon.